The recently launched Black Business Council (BBC) will send a delegation to the BRICS summit in India, it said on Thursday.
“The BBC has been invited by government to participate in the official programme in two significant areas - food security and information technology,” the business lobby group said in a statement.
The next summit of the BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South African group of economies - would be held in New Delhi, India, in the last week of March.
BBC president Ndaba Ntsele would lead a South African business delegation participating in the summit.
The BBC launched two weeks ago at an event heavily supported by government with four Cabinet Ministers in attendance.
The BBC said it was continuing with consultations with various parties to build consensus on the need to accelerate economic growth.
This growth should be entirely inclusive, and deal with the problems of inequality, poverty and unemployment, it said.
As part of this, the BBC would meet the Congress of SA Trade Unions, the SA Communist Party and the National Youth Development Agency.
A meeting was also planned this weekend with a delegation from MEDEF International, a network of French business people.
The BBC, which at its launch had 17 members, was open to new members.
“The BBC is open for new membership, and will be meeting with sector-based business organisations, corporates and multinationals that have registered interest in joining the Black Business Council.”
Membership was not limited to black businesses and professionals, it said.
“We espouse non-racialism and are very clear about the need to transform the colonial and apartheid patterns of the ownership and management of the South African economy.”
The BBC said it had not received an apology from Chamber of Mines CEO Bheki Sibiya, who called it racist.
“In terms of his unwarranted attack on the BBC, we have not received an apology from the chief executive of the Chamber of Mines, Bheki Sibiya.” the council said.
On Wednesday, the Chamber said Sibiya had apologised.
“Sibiya has sincerely apologised in a letter to both the chairman of Black Business executive council (BBEC) as well as its members,” chairman Hlengani Mathebula said in a statement.
Last week, Sibiya reportedly said: “The name is Black Business Council, it is a racist organisation, with all due respect. Obviously BBC is a racists' organisation... and as long as I live I will never associate myself with it.”
The BBC gave its opinion on various issues affecting business in South Africa.
It supported the user-pay principle for e-tolling.
“While we agree with the 'user pay' principle per se, the BBC believes the e-tolling should have occurred within an integrated public transport system... providing real alternatives for the users of public transport system.”
It welcomed the reduction in toll tariffs due to the National Treasury carrying some of the cost, but urged government to fasttrack the development of an integrated public transport system throughout the country.
The BBC welcomed the news that labour broking would be further discussed within the correct forum, Nedlac.
“We also welcome the news that there is a drive to regulate, rather than ban labour broking in South Africa.
“We maintain that flexible employment solutions should be counted among real solutions to the scourge of unemployment, especially among the youth.”
The BBC was also happy with the reduced increase in Eskom's electricity tariffs. - Sapa